drinksint.com JANUARY 2016 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL


25


It’s all about 100% agave when it comes to tequila and mixto brands are taking a hit


TEQUILA T


BEST- 1


2 CALLE 23 3


OCHO


4 TAPATIO


5 PATRON


6 CABEZA 7


JOSÉ CUERVO 8


HERRADURA 9


EL JIMADOR 10


ESPOLON TOP 1 OCHO


TRENDING BRANDS


DON JULIO 2


3 CABEZA


4 CALLE 23


5 PATRON 6


OLMECA ALTOS F7ORTALEZA


8 TAPATIO 9


EL TESORO 10


SELLING BRANDS


DON JULIO


o paraphrase: 100% agave in, mixto out. Our tequila list says nine of the 10 best-selling


brands in the world’s best bars are 100% agave. We could not have said that fi ve years ago. Once consumers started to realise mixto could be as low as 51% agave, the 100% agave market exploded, while mixto began to fi zzle out. Just under 50% of polled bars said Don Julio was among their three top tequilas in 2015, with 20% naming it their house pour, including London’s American Bar, Hong Kong’s Quinary and The Clumsies of Athens. Suddenly Diageo’s move to relinquish Bushmills and gain full control over Don Julio makes more sense. The UK group might count be grateful it failed to get hold of the mixto Jose Cuervo a few years back. The brand was top of our pops from 2010-2013 but has plummeted in the rankings since the 100% agave revolution.


HERRADURA


Travelling down the list we have Calle 23, which is a best seller in a third of bars polled. These following top 50 bars are all converts: Licoreria Limantour in Mexico City, Trick Dog in San Francisco, 69 Colebrooke Row, Ruby in Copenhagen and The Jerry Thomas Project in Rome.


Ocho – last year’s best-selling tequila in our poll – may have been overtaken, but its terroir- led philosophy is well received among the trade and it has remained a buzz brand, as evidenced by the trending list. One of last year’s bartender favourites, Tapatio, is in fourth, with the likes of Canon in Seattle counting it among its agave arsenal.


Tequila Cabeza, an 86 Company product, has won many admirers since its launch. Aviary in Chicago and Little Red Door both sell more of it than any other tequila. But we should


probably give Patrón a mention at number fi ve. Without its work building the 100% agave category, many of these brands would likely not have the traction they now enjoy.


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